Complaint - National Futures Association

ETLED
NATIONAL FUTURES ASSOCIATION
BEFORE THE
BUSINESS CONDUCT COM]UIITTEE
JUll 3 0
z0r0
I{ATIONAL FUTURES ASSOCTATION
U:GALDOCKETINO
ln the Matter of:
OPPORTUNITIES IN OPTIONS
(NFA tD #2223),
THOMAS H. FRANKEL
(NFA tD #61318),
JUAN CORONEL MARTINEZ MILLER
(NFA tD #270211),
NFA Case No. 10-BCC-019
DEIA/ITT DUDLEY
(NFA tD #346868)
and
JESSE D. SEIDEL
(NFA tD #332687),
Respondents.
ggirPLArNT
Having reviewed the investigative report submitted by the Compliance
Department of National Futures Association ('NFA"), and having reason to betieve that
NFA Requirements are being, have been, or are about to be violated and that the
matter should be adjudicated, NFA's Business Conduct Committee ("Committee")
issues this Complaint against Opportunities in Options ('OlO), Thomas H. Frankel
("Frankel'), Juan Coronel Martinez Miller ("Miller"), Dewitt Dudtey ("Dudley) and Jesse
D. Seidel ("Seidel").
ALfEGATTONS
JURISDICTION
1.
At alltimes relevant to this Complaint, OIO was registered as an introducing broker
flB)
and a Member of NFA. As such, OIO was and is required to comply with NFA
Requirements and is subject to disciplinary proceedings for violations thereof.
At alltimes relevant to this Complaint, Frankel and Miller were principals and
associated persons ('APs') of OIO and NFA A.ssociates. As such, Frankel and
Millerwere and are required to complywith NFA Requirements and are subject
to disciplinary proceedings for violations thereof. OIO is liable for violations of
NFA Requirements committed by Frankeland Miller in the @urse of their
actMties on behalf of OlO.
3.
At all times relevant to this Complaint, Dudley and Seidelwere APs of OIO and
NFA Associates. As such, Dudley and Seidel were and are required to comply
with NFA Requirements and are subject to disciplinary proceedings for violations
thereof. OIO is liable for violations of NFA Requirements committed by Dudley
and Seidel in the course of their activities on behalf of OlO.
BAGKGROUND
4.
OIO is located in Oxnard, California and has been an independent lB Member of
NFA since December of 1987. At the time of NFA's April 2009 audit, OIO's
principals included Frankeland Miller, among others. Frankel, who is based in
Chicago, is OIO's president and has final authority over all of OIO's employees
and operations. Miller, who is located in Oxnard, had direct supervisory
responsibility over OIO's APs. OIO APs Dudley and Seidel worked in the Oxnard
offioe.
OtO's customers incurred an overall net loss of neady $6.6 million in 2008- ln
contrast, OIO earned almost $4.1 million in commissions that year. Dudley was
one of OtO's highest eaming APs. ln 2008, 51 of Dudley's 52 customers
incurred overall losses totaling more than $500,000- The one Dudley customer
who made a net proffi in 2008 gained only $433. During that same year, Dudley
eamed approximately g15O,O0O in cornmissions working at OlO. ln addition, he
eamed more than $33,000 in commissions during March 2009.
6.
During audit fieldwork, NFA staff discovered that OIO had voluntarily decided to
tape record all of ifs APst conversations with customers and prospective
c-ustomers. NFA's review of recordings of solicitations made by Dudley, Miller
and Seidel revealed a number of misleading and deceptive solicitations.
7.
ln addition, NFA learned that OIO obtained teads and refenals from two non-NFA
Member companies, TradeWins Publishing ("TradeWins") and Diversified
Trading Strategies CDTS"), both of which used deceptive and misleading
websites to generate the leads which they provided to OlO. NFA also leamed
that TradeWns has been subject to actions by the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission CCFTC' or'Commission') charging Trade\Mns with fraudulent
marketing practices; and that a company with which DTS was affiliated as a
branch offce
-
Profit Partners, lnc. ("PPl")
- was also charged by the
Commission and charged with making fraudulent claims about a trading system it
was marketing.
8.
Evidence gathered by NFA during the course of its audit further demonstrated
that OlO, Frankel and Miller failed in their obligation to diligently supervise
various aspects of OIO's operations.
APPLICABIE RULES
g.
NFA Compliance Rule 2-2(a) provides that no Member or Associate shall cheat,
defraud or deceive, or attempt to cheat, defraud or deceive, any commodity
futures customer.
10.
NFA Compliance Rule 2-,4 provides that Members and Associates shall observe
high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in
the conduct of their commodity futures business.
11.
NFA Compliance Rule 2-29(aXl) provides that no Member or Associate shall
make any @mmunication with the public which operates as a fraud or deceit
12.
NFA Compliance Rule 2-9(a) provides that each Member shall diligently
supervise its employees and agents in the conduct of their commodity futures
activities for or on behalf of the Member. Each Associate who has supervisory
duties shall ditigently exercise such duties in the conduct of that Associate's
commodityfutures activities on behalf of the Member.
COUNT
I
VIOLATION OF NFA coMPLIANcE RULES 2-2lal AND 2-29(aXf ): [lAKlNG
DECEPTIVE AND MISLEADING SALES SOLICITANONS. . . ,
13.
The allegations contained in paragraphs
1,3,5,6,9 and 11 are realleged
as
paragraph 13.
14.
At various times between January 2009 and May 2009, Dudley made
solicitations to prospective customers in which he promoted a managed account
program of commodity trading advisor ("CTA') Rosetta Capital Management LLC
("Rosetta"), which required a deposit of at least $50,000 for a customer to open
an account.
15.
Dudley made solicitations for participation in Rosetta between January and May
2009 that were misleading and deoeptive in that he represented that he had a
number of clients who had substantial investments in the Rosettra program and
that they were turning profits when, in truth, Dudley had never had a single
customerwho had an a@ount in the Rosetta program at the time. Examples of
statements by Dudley falsely suggesting to prospective customers that he had
existing customers in the Rosetta trading program and that those customers
were enjoying profits include the following:
o
'M/ell the 407o ayear, that is a net retum." 'lt has a ten year
audited track record, its been audited by federal regulators.'
"Honestly Richard, it is a little bit higher than that. But this
year my clients only made 20 in it. So new business that I
introduce into this program I like to tellthem that it should do
about Do/o, even though their nine year average is closer to
600/o. Since the last year they have done twenty, I kind of
like to take it down a notch." ln refening to intra market
spreads Dudley stated,'They have extremely low margin
requirements and very very low risk levels. On a yearly
basis they do very wellfor my clients." (to a Rick on
January 20th.)
o
ol
o
have been in this program for just shy of four years.
Through good times in the markets and bad it has never had
a losing year." Cl'o a Dennis on March 4th.)
"Well I wouldn't say it is once in a lifetime because I have
been pitching Rosetta for three years and started out with a
small amount with them and now have a very sizeable
amount with them. Deuritt, in all honesty, if your name came
across my desk two years from now I would probably
recommend the same thing. Because it is one of the few
products in this industry that has not only kept me happy, but
kept every single one of my clients in the program happy."
(Io Dewitt on March 4th.)
'lt's a program, I have been in it for a couple of years now,"
and later, "Have you had anything that has performed like
that over ten years?" When the prosped answered "No,
who has?" Dudley responded "l do, my clienb do." (To
Dave Mc€all on March 4th.)
"lf Rosetta has a horrible year this year, I am not going to
recommend it to anyone. I am going pull all my money out
of it and put it somewhere else where it is making money."
(To a David on March 4th.)
"That's usually what I will initially pitch people on because it
is one of the programs that ! have been in for a while that
has a ten year track record. lt is rare as you probably know
to find any kind of fund, mutualfund, any investment that has
a ten year winning track record. So it is a pretty easy intro
for me with most people." (To a different David on March
4th.)
'Returned to my clients 557o net profit. This year looks like
it's going to be another above average year; during times of
extreme volatility he makes more money. He has been
averaging at about 34o/o net retum a month, last month was
a homerun he did a net 12o/o." Oo a Randallon May 7th.)
16.
Dudley's solicitations for participation in Rosetta were further misleading and
deceptive in that he represented that customers would not incur any expenses at
all unless their Rosetta traded account was profrtable, but failed to disctose the
material fact that they would still incur expenses for commissions and fees
whether theirtrading was profitable or not. For example, Dudley tord a
prospective customer named Denny, "and it operates on a profit sharing
agreement, so you do not pay the company a penny unless you make a profit.
Period.' He also told a prospective customer named Dewitt that, "You do not pay
the company a penny unless you make a profit." Dudley made similar claims to
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other prospective customers without disclosing that they would still incur
expenses for commissions and fees whether their trading was profrtable or not.
17.
on or about March 4,2009, Dudley made solicitations to at least three
prospective customers to open accounts to be managed by CTA Harbor
Financial LLC ("Harbor"). Dudley's solicitations were deceptive and misleading in
that Dudley represented to the three prospects that Harbor had not had a singte
losing trade in the previous eighteen months when, in truth, Harbor had indeed
had losing trades during the period. Dudley made the following specific
statements to the three prospective customers on or about March 4,200g:
.
o
o
18.
"Over the last eighteen months he has not lost a single
trade." (To a Dennis.)
'M/e both know the past year has probably been one of the
most volatile years in history, over the past eighteen months,
this crA has not lost a single trade, in eighteen months.
Most volatile eighteen months period. Trades the S&p
primarily, hasn't lost a single trade.,' (l'o Dave.)
"Throughout the past eighteen months, which most people
would agree are the most volatile and dangerous eighteen
months in investing history, he has not had a single losing
trade. I think that is pretty impressive." (to a diffelent oavio.)
Dudley's solicitations to prospective customers, as alleged above, were
misleading and deceptive in that he routinely touted profits that were not
representative of the performance of his customer's accounts or those of OlO,s
customers in general and blunted whatever risk disctosure he made with
suggestions of likely and substantial profits.
7
19.
on or about January 20, 2009, Miller made a solicitation to a prospec'tive
customer named Lea Oester ("Oestef) in which Miller represented that,'That's
what a lot of my clients have done, they basicatly started off with the forex portion
of it and then as soon as they made anyrvhere ffom twenty to fifty thousand
dollars they went ahead and used those funds to secure their position over with
the commodities and start trading the commodities as welt.n
20.
Mille/s solicitation to Oester was deceptive and misleading in that, as of January
20, 2009, Miller had not opened or traded any forex accounts as an AP of OlO.
21.
on or about January 20, 2009, seidel made a solicitation to a prospective
customer named Archie Floyd
(Floyd) during which he pitched the Russell
Sands ('Sands') forex program. Seideltold Floyd that, "We've seen a
tremendous increase, forex right now, ever since the beginning of this year, is
iust a... today alone, I think he's up, he's up about 13 grand today alone." Seidel
added, "... he's averaged; say over time, between 200 to 3007o a year. Thafs
phenomenal."
seidel also promoted sands'futures program to Floyd and tord him, "The
commodities, yeah he finished that one up even further, that was up probably...
his account, trading a million dollar portfolio, he was up 600% on that one."
23.
Seidel's solicitation to Floyd was deceptive and misleading in that Seideldid not
disclose to Floyd the material information that his dramatic claims of past
profitable performance by sands were based on hypothetical trading.
24.
By reason of the foregoing acts and omissions, OlO, Dudtey, Milter and Seidel
are charged with violations of NFA Compliance Rules 2-2(a') and2-29(aX1).
8
couNT
I
VIOLATION OF NFA COMPLIANCE RULES 2-9(a) AND 24: FALURE TO
DILIGENTLY SUPERVISE EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS IN THE CONDUCT OF
THEIR COi'IiiODlTY FUTURES ACTIVITIES AND FAILURE TO UPHOLD HIGH
STANDARDS OF COiIMERCIAL HONOR AND JUST AND EQUITABLE
PRINCIPLES OF
..
TRADE.
25.
The allegations contained in paragraphs
1
,2,3,4,7,
10 and 12 are realleged as
paragraph 25.
26.
At alltimes relevant to this Complaint, OIO was responsible for the diligent
supervision of its employees and agents.
27.
Frankel was the president of OIO at alltimes relevant to this Complaint. ln
addition, he was an AP and an NFA Associate with supervisory duties at OlO,
which he was required to diligently exercise on behalf of OlO. Among his
supervisory duties, Frankelwas responsible for the review and approval of
promotional material.
28.
Miller has been registered as an AP of OIO and an NFA Associate since
November 2004 and was listed as a principal of OIO from November 2OA4
through April 2010. As an NFA Associate who had supervisory duties, Miller was
required to diligently exercise those duties on behalf of OlO. Among his
supervisory duties, Miller had primary responsibility for supervising solicitations
made by APs located in OIO's Oxnard office at alltimes relevant to this
Gomplaint.
29.
The duty to diligently supervise, in part, requires Members and Associates who
have supervisory duties to initiate effective procedures to ensure, to the extent
possible, that third-party leads that are used by the Member have not been
generated through the use of fraudulent advertising practices. For example, the
publication entifled A 9uiCe to NFA Cgmpliancp Rule 2-29, which is available to
all Membels on NFAs website, cautions Members who use lead lists that they
must be able to demonstrate that the advertisements used to generate the leads
were not fraudulent or misleading. The Guide cautions further that, "Members
cannot avoid responsibility for promotional material by claiming to be unaware of
its content or appearance."
30.
During alltimes relevant to this Comphint, OIO purchased leads ftom non-NFA
Member TradeWins. TradeWins promoted trading systems including some of the
very systems that OIO used to trade customer accounts. As such, OIO had a
duty to ensure that the leads that it purchased from TradeWins were not
generated through the use of fraudulent advertising practices.
31.
TradeWins has been the focus of CFTC attention on at least two oocasions in the
past. lt was cited for fraudulent advertising in a2002 CFTC administrative action
and was fined $100,000 and ordered to cease and desist from further violations.
ln20M, TradeWins was fined $170,000 in an injunctive action brought by the
Commission alleging that TradeWins engaged in fraudulent solicitations and
violated an order in a prior Commission action. A trading prohibition and the
disgorgement of $75,000 were also imposed in that case.
32.
TradeWins'website employed fraudulent advertising practices in that it promoted
trading systems used by OIO by touting highly profitable hypothetical rates of
retum and positive testimonials from customers trading the systems without
adequately disclosing the hypothetical nature of the performane claims or the
basis for the testimonials. Further, TradeWins made dramatic unsubstantiated
10
claims about the profitability of the trading systems that
olo
promoted.
Examples of these claims include the following:
TradeWins' website touted Sands' "Complete Turfle Trading
System" with the statement: "The amazing true story of the
commodity trader who turned $400 into $200 million in profits
and...how a 19-year-old kid used the same trading system to retire
after raking in $31.5 million in sweet profits. Now it's your turn!!!"
TradeWins'website also promoted a system for [a trading system
developerlwith: "video workshop by [the trading system deveroper]
reveals a 10Oo/o mechanical method to 'buy the low, sel! the high'
on every 2-3 day price swing-in any market-and make a profit over
88% of the time in simulated trading" and "[the trading system
developer'sl annualized returns in the Championship were
432%... 1 21 o/o...and 243o/o, respectively. (note th at h is LOWEST
return was 121o/oll)."
33.
During al! times relevant to this Complaint, OIO also received referrals from nonNFA Member DTS. These referrals from DTS were purportedly for the purpose
of connecting customers, who had purchased third-party trading systems from
DTS, with
olo's APs, who had experience with those systems, so that the Aps
could give technical advice to the customers.
34.
Frankel informed NFA, on behalf of OlO, that DTS was formerly a branch office
of PPI against which the Commission took an injunctive action in 2003 alleging
that PPI made fraudulent solicitations regarding the purchase of commodity
futures and options trading systems. PPI was fined $30,000 and enjoined from
future fraudulent conduct pursuant to that action.
35.
Several of the recordings of calls made by OIO APs that NFA reviewed involved
discussions with DTS employee Michael McGinnis ("McGinnis"). NFA,s review
revealed that McGinnis provided Miller and Seidelwith contact information for
prospective customers who had either expressed an interest in trading systems
11
offered by DTS or had purchased such a system. tn a typical conversation,
McGinnis would provide the name of a customer or prospective customer along
with their phone number, tips on howto talk to the particular customer and the
identity of the trading system purchased by the customer. Other recordings
revealed OIO APs oontacting the customers irJentified to them by DTS to solicit
them to open an account with OIO that would use the signals generated by the
system they had purchased or in which they had expressed an interest. The APs
routinely informed the customers that OIO brokers were knowledgeable on how
to follow the system signals and could trade their accounts for them.
Recordings of three conversations between Miller and McGinnis on or about
February 23,20a9 illustrate the cory relationship between
oro and DTS.
McGinnis called Millerthat morning and provided him with the name and phone
number of an individual who had purchased Sands'forex trading system from
DTS. McGinnis asked Miller to 'indiscreetly" suggest to the customer that it
would be a good idea to buy Sands'commodities trading system too. McGinnis
suggested pointing out that it would make things easier since the customer was
doing the paperwork to open a forex account anyway. Miller catled McGinnis's
custorner that same afternoon. After introducing himself as being with OIO and
saying that he was calling about sands'Turfle program, he continued with,
'Understood that you had a few questions for me. t'm the broker who trades the
commodities and the forex." The customer's response was, What do you need
from me?" Miller responded that the customer had to have purchased a trading
12
system and then Miller had to send out an application in order to get an account
open.
37.
Millertreated the opening of an accountwith olO as part and parcel of the
customers' purchase of Sands' system from DTS. ln fact, he never even asked
the customer if he wanted to open an account through OlO, but rather treated it
as a faif accompli. ln addition, as McGinnis had suggested, Miller raised the
notion that the customer should consider also purchasing Sands'commodities
trading system.
McGinnis's initial callto Miller constituted a sales lead to OIO in that Miller used
the information provided in that call to solicit the customer to open an account to
be introduced by OtO. ln fact, shortly after hanging up on the customer, Miller
called McGinnis to report on the results of his contact with the customer.
39.
DTS's website exhibited numerous promotions for the trading systems that OIO
was trading for its customers. DTS's website employed fraudulent advertising
practices in that it promoted those trading systems with highly profitrable
hypothetical rates of return and positive testimonials from customers trading the
systems without adequately disclosing the hypothetical nature of performance
claims or the basis for claims made. Examples of these claims include the
following:
o
DTS's website touted that we offer forex s(;nats, futures signals,
option and ETF trading strategies from veterin traders who
average 100o/o profits or more per year from live trading.,'
o The site included a testimoniarfrom "c.8. from cotorado'regarding
sands that states: ?lmost every month shovrrs new profits. Since t
began trading it 5 months ago, I am up well over 106o/o."
13
40.
OIO and its superuisory personnetfailed in their duty to diligenily supervise OIO's
commodity futures activities in that they failed to initiate effective prooedures to
ensure that the leads that OIO obtained from TradeWins and DTS were not
generated through the use of fraudulent advertising practices. ln fact" they did
not initiate any efforts to identify and/or review the material used by TradeWins or
DTS that resulted in generating leads and referrals used by OIO to solicit
p
41.
rospective customers.
The observanoe of high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable
principles of trade required of all NFA Members, in part, prohibits Members and
their Associates from engaging in ac'tivities or relationships that are designed to
mislead or deceive the public.
42.
OIO and Frankelfailed to observe high standards of commercial honor and just
and equitable principles of trade in that their activities and relationships with
TradeWns and DTS resulted in deception of the public: and OIO and Franket
either kept themselves purposely ignorant of the deceptive and misleading nature
of advertising done by Tradewins and DTS or, worse, were aware of the
deceptive nature of that advertising.
43.
At all times relevant to this Complaint, Miller reported direcfly to Frankel, who
was OIO's president. Miller and OIO's entire sales staff were located in Oxnard,
Califomia. OIO president Frankel is also an AP of MF Global. Frankel's attomey
represented on his behalf that Frankelspends approximately two days at the
Oxnard office every two weeks and that, when he is not in Oxnard, he exercises
14
his oversight of OIO's operations from either his MF Global office in Chicago or
his home in Galesburg, lllinois.
44.
Frankel, Miller and OIO all represented to NFA that Miller walks around the
Oxnard office and listens to conversations throughout the day and immediately
brings any regulatory issues that he detecls in solicitations to the attention of the
relevant AP. They represented further that Miller generally briefs Frankel on
issues which come up and on whatever remedial action was taken. Vvith regard
to Miller's review of recorded solicitations, Frankel and OIO described it as,
"several recordings by APs, chosen at random by him, approximately once every
two weeks.'
The duty to diligently supervise, in part, requires Members and theirAssociates
who have supervisory duties to initiate effective procedures to detect and/or
prevent the use of deceptive and misleading sales by the Member's Aps.
46.
The allegations contained in paragraphs 14 through 23 reatleged as paragraph
46.
47.
The numerous deoeptive and misleading soticitations incorporated by reference
into paragraph 46 above were alltaken from audio recordings made by OIO of
solicitations made by Dudtey, Miller and Seidel that were readily availabte for
review by OIO supervisory personnel.
48.
OlO, Franke! and Milter failed in their obligation to diligently supervise sales
solicitations made by OIO's APs in that they failed to initiate effective procedures
to detect and/or prevent the use of deceptive and misleading sales by OtO's Aps.
15
49.
By reason of the foregoing acts and omissions, OIO and Frankel are charged
with violations of NFA Compliance Rule
24
and OlO, Frankel and Miller are
charged with violations of NFA Compliance Rule 2-g(a).
PROC EDURAL. REQU
I
R.E M
ENTS
ANSWER
You must file a written Answer to the Complaint with NFA within thirty (30)
days of the date of the Complaint. The Answer shatl respond to each allegation in the
Complaint by admitting, denying or avening that you lack sufficient knowledge or information to admit or deny the allegation. An averment of insufficient knowledge or information may only be made after a diligent effort has been made to ascertain the retevant
facts and shall be deemed to be a denialof the pertinent ailegation.
NFA staff is authorized to grant such reasonable extensions of time in
which an Answer may be filed as it deems appropriate. The Answer must be filed
by
delivery or mail to:
National Futures Association
300 South Riverside plaza
Suite 1800
Chicago, iltinois 60606-6613
Attn: Legal Department-Docketing
E-mail: Docketino@nfa.futures.oro
Facsimile: 312-T U -1 AT 2.
Failure to file an Answer as provided above shatl be deemed an admission
of the facts and bgalconclusions contained in the Complaint. Failure to respond
to any
allegation shall be deemed an admission of that allegation. Failure to file an Answer
as
provided above shall be deerned a waiver of hearing.
16
POTENTIAL PENALTIES. DISQUALIFTCATTON AND tNELtGtBtLtW
At the conclusion of the proceedings conducted as a result of or in connection with the issuance of this Complaint, the Committee may impose one or more of
the following penalties:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
expulsion or suspension for a specified period from NFA membership;
bar or suspension for a specified period from association with an NFA
Member;
censure or reprimand;
a monetary fine not to exceed $250,000 for each violation found; and
order to cease and desist or any other fitting penalty or remedial action not
inconsistent with these penalties.
The allegations in this Complaint may constitute a statutory disqualification
from registration under Section 8a(3XM) of the Commodity Exchange Act. Respondents
in this matter who apply for registration in any new capacity, including as an associated
person with a new sponsor, may be denied registration based on the pendency of this
proceeding.
Pursuant to the provisions of CFTC Regulation 1.63, penalties imposed in
connection with this Complaint may temporarily or permanently render Respondents
who are individuals ineligible to serve on disciplinary committees, arbitration panels and
governing boards of a self-regulatory organization, as that term is defined in CFTC
Regulation 1.63.
I
By:
.n/:pmr.Complaints.OlO et al 201 0.6-28.doo(
17